Course 4: Expert

Course 4: Expert

Programme Overview

The Injection Moulding Driver Licence® is a systematic and all-round training programme designed for the plastics injection moulding industry. There are 5 courses covering topics from material science, moulding machine, moulding process, periphery equipment and mould. From basic to expert levels, the courses progressively improve the participants’ injection moulding knowledge and raise their ability to diagnose and solve problems effectively.

Programme Benefits

Its main differentiating advantage compared to other training programs is that the awarded certificate is like a driver’s licence: it is given only after a student has passed the final examination, and not on the basis of attendance. Passing the examination proves that the student has understood the training and is able to transport the knowledge into the practice of injection moulding.

Students who pass the stringent Injection Moulding Driver Licence® examination will possess injection moulding expertise equivalent to their German counterparts and become an application engineer in the plastics industry.

Target Industry

Injection Moulding Industry

Prerequisite

Course 3: Advanced

Course Content

General

Review Courses 1, 2 and 3 and think about how to integrate the five major components of injection moulding to achieve stable and effective production, and discuss the key points for monitoring in actual practice. In addition, we will discuss the results of Course 3’s practical trial homework.

Material Science

Discuss the characteristics of high temperature plastic materials and their applications. Further discuss material data specification, requirements for processing, and advanced applications. A brief overview of biopolymers from a sustainability and environmental-friendly point of view. Further discussion about biopolymers characteristics and resources along with the differences between biopolymers and traditional polymers.

Moulding Machine

Understand high temperature equipment and the specifications needed to cater to high temperature thermoplastics. To retain stable process settings and quality assurance for injection moulding products, a healthy mould design is needed. This prevents imbalanced filling, flashes, air traps, burn marks, and other defects. By doing this, we are focusing on the principles and mechanisms of smart moulds and suitable mould breathing. By fully digesting the concepts taught in Courses 1 to 3, we can then further explore how to choose injection moulding machines based on the requirements of the clamping units, injection units, control units along with their regulated forms and operating procedures.

Moulding Process

The quality, consistency, and production cycle of an injection moulded product is strongly dependent on the temperature distribution of the product and its variations. However, the temperature variation and distribution is very difficult to detect. In this course we will explain how modern IR thermal scanners can be used to capture the temperature distribution. Product quality can also be improved when used in tandem with a pulsed cooling system.

Periphery Equipment

Good heating and cooling is crucial to achieve excellent product quality. We systematically discuss various temperature control systems, including static and dynamic temperature control system. Compare the similarities and differences between temperature control systems by their efficiency. Furthermore, discuss the layout of the cooling channels of the plant based on the principles, advantages, and economic efficiency.

Mould

This course explores advanced filling techniques, sequential injection and valve gate-controlled hot runners. Proper cooling design is another crucial factor in determining product quality. We also discuss how cooling time is obtained based on the type of plastics, thickness, melt temperature, cavity temperature, ejection temperature, thermal diffusivity; with scientific calculations.

Special Technology

We explore special injection moulding techniques:

Gas-assisted injection moulding and water-assisted injection moulding

Physical and chemical foaming injection moulding

Co-injection

LSR moulding process

Moulding Defects

Discuss all the 7 trials required for Course 5 certification.

Practical Trial

The practice for the optimization of cooling time and the optimization of the cycle time

The trials are to be completed at the participant’s factory using an existing mould and machine. The student will send the homework for all 7 trials from Course 1-4 to trainer for assessment. This is the entry requirement for Course 5 certification.